Speed Week 2010 Y Block Fridge Cab Race Truck

Bonneville Salt Flats Racer at Speed Week 2010

Bonneville Salt Flats is full of cool car guy stories.  Here’s another one for you.  This one is from Ford Y Block lover, Tim McMaster (Y Block Guy) who built a land speed racing motor for this Yellow Fridge Cab pickup owned by Charlie Burns.   This Y powered pickup runs in the E/PP class, which is E motor (184-260 cu in), Production Pickup, where the record is 126.073 MPH.  On Saturday when I took these pictures, Tim ran 113 MPH while making his “Rookie Run” since he’s a new driver at Speed Week.

Tim McMaster tells us about his Y Block love story:

“Y-Blocks, you could say, have always been a part of my life from the time I can remember riding between my dad and uncle in the 292 powered F-600 hauling a load of oranges to the Blue Goose packing house in Strathmore, CA, I know that goes a ways back and I didn’t even know what an engine was back then but that truck is still working on the ranch today and I have some other stories that involve that truck that I wont bore you with right now. lol

The 258 had its best dyno pull at 310 hp @ 7000 and best torque was 265 @ 4800 with a pretty flat curve to 7000 (I think the torque @ max rpm was around 220)  and yes 7000 seems to be where any Y runs out of breath, doesn’t seem to matter what size or stroke.

You can read on my website’s home page (link below the story) how I bought my first F-100 on my way home from the DMV on my 16th birthday with my new drivers license in hand and $500 burning a hole in my pocket. It was a 1960 model. I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for ’57-’60 “Fridge cab” Fords ever since.

Just to shorten the story a little let’s flash forward to 2002 when I first met Charlie Burns. Charlie came to the machine shop where I’ve been working since 1985 and wanted some parts cleaned.  I noticed that the parts were for a ’50s F-100 and he also had some Y-Block parts.  We got to talking and he told me that he had a dream of setting a land speed record and was going to do it with this old pickup he had for 20 years. Turns out Charlie, like me, has had a love affair with “Fridge Cab” Fords since high school too… although he got into them while they were still in production. Charlie is 67 this year.  We became fast friends and I volunteered my engine building services to help him reach his goal.

Charlie made his first appearance on the salt in 2007 and did not have a very good showing. That same year, he made his “Rookie” run at El Mirage without much success but anything worthwhile isn’t easy.  Over the winter of 2007-2008 we did some tuning to the engine and some changes to the drivetrain like a new gear ratio in the rear and a borrowed Toploader four speed cause the T-10 tranny that he had had too wide a gap between 3rd and 4th for the little 258″ Y to pull in top gear and accelerate. Charlie was ready for a great season.  The first meet at El Mirage in May 2008 was not much more successful than the first year but it was an improvement. Then in June, Charlie had his first score with a 118+ mph run on a 115 mph record.  With that he was ready for the Bonneville Salt Flats again.

At Speed Week 2008 Charlie made a qualifying run of 124.6 mph and with a back up run the next day he had another record, this time on salt, to the speed of 122mph and change.

After Speed Week, he went on a cross country tour stopping at car shows along the way and the Y-Block Shootout in Columbus, OH on Labor Day.  Next he went to New York and then down to Maxton to pick up another E/PP record with the ECTA.  On the way back just for good measure the truck picked up another award as one of the top ten for Classic Trucks Magazine.

That’s pretty much the history of the truck.  Where do I come in?  Last year Charlie decided to step it up a notch and he started building a new car to try for the 200 mph Club.  It’s a ’61 Mercury Comet but I’m not sure what class he is shooting for although he has told me many times. I know it’ll be an E motor and blown (Y-Block of course), E/CBGC, I think that is how it reads.

Since he’s set his first bunch of records, he said I could drive the truck to get my “Rookie” stuff out of the way.  Needless to say I’m hooked!  I made my first run at El Mirage November of last year and have made seven more at El Mirage and three at Bonneville this last week. One at El Mirage was just .8 mph shy of Charlie’s record and I want to get that before the season is out.  If I can’t have Bonneville this year I hope to have El Mirage.

On a side note we have mostly used my ’58 F-100 as chase truck and it makes for a good looking package on the lake bed and the salt.

Thanks for sharing Tim!  The cool part about hot rodding, especially Bonneville and El Mirage land speed racing, is there are tons of stories just like this.  This is hot rodding, this is My Ride is Me.  People get hooked on Ford Y  Blocks, flatheads, Oldsmobile Rockets, Camaros, Falcons, roadsters, coupes, we all have our own passion. Whatever you’re into here, you’re welcome. Why not sign up?

For more Bonneville Speed Week Records, Pictures and Coverage click this link. And if Salt Flats racing pickups are your thing, check out this Land Speed Racing Jeep! Yea, Jeep!.

Here’s Tim’s Y Block Guy website

Hechtspeed

1000 mph Car: Bloodhound SSC

Bonneville Salt Flats: Gearing up for Everything Speed!

There’s always one new car or project out there that makes you go think: DAMN! I found one. Richard Noble, you might have heard of him, is leading the charge. In his words:

“Welcome to the BLOODHOUND Project, the engineering adventure for the 21st century. We are pushing the limits and inspiring our young engineers and scientists with our incredible car capable of 1,000mph”

1000 mph.

Richard’s got the experience to do it too. He held the land speed record from 1983 to 1997 driving Thrust2 on the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. His record was a mere 633mph. Now, the team led by Noble’s looking to blow past the record of ThrustSSC at 763mph and break 1000mph. If they can do it, they’ll be the second car ever to break the sound barrier.

There’s nothing more I can say about the car that’s not spelled out in full (overwhelmingly so) detail on the Bloodhound SSC homepage. So let me share a couple videos:

Animated Video of the Bloodhound SSC’s record breaking run:

Richard Nobel’s old ride, Thrust2

1983 Record Run for Thrust2

I can’t get enough. But I’d rather see a wheel driven car set a record.  Next I’ll have to find some info and video for the Railton Special,  the Bluebird-Proteus CN7 and the “White Triplex” from back in 1928, the last time the USA held the land speed record for wheel driven cars.

Sound good?

Bucket List Avanti Hits El Mirage

We first told you about this Studebaker Avanti and its Land Speed Racing legend status in the Land Speed Racing Avanti intro.  We have a quick update for you.  Dan and crew took the #88 Avanti and its borrowed twin supercharged Studebaker V8 to El Mirage for some runs down the dry lakebed at El Mirage.  It was 191 days in the making and it was well worth it.

The Stude looks right at home on the dry, cracked lake bed.  Dan suited up and was able to make 2 runs, well, 1.5 runs.  Before actually getting down the dirt track, it took many hours and helpful hands to get the Avanti to pass tech inspection.  Most of the little things are safety related, like sealing off the interior from fire hazards and the correct protection.

Avanti Dan suiting up.  No racing happens without help of family and friends.

Two land speed racing Avanti’s at the starting line at El Mirage is a beautiful sight to see.  Dan and team were able to figure out a bunch of bugs, get tech inspected, and get another list together to get ready for Bonneville Speedweek in 24 days (and counting!).

We can’t wait to see the Avanti in its new paint scheme at Bonneville in a few weeks.  In the meantime, to keep up on Dan’s progress and preparations for Speedweek, check out his build thread on RacingStudebakers.com.

Hechtspeed

Bonneville Salt Flats: Learning How-to Set a Record

Bonneville Salt Flats: Land Speed Record Info:

The countdown is on for Speed Week, the land-speed racing event of the year! This Speed Week makes sixty-two years that Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and Bonneville Nationals Incorporated (BNI) have run this week-long speed spectacular. Since the whole point of the event is the “world’s fastest automotive speed trials” that means SCTA/BNI are responsible for verifying the record breaking speeds. Upon my first Speed Week experience last August, I pondered exactly HOW one breaks the speed record as I watched speedsters, lakesters, roadsters, coupes, pickups, and motorcycles speed from the starting line.

I headed down to the tech inspection area to find out. Every vehicle goes through tech inspection upon arrival to verify both legality and safety. If they’re lucky they’ll go through a second time to verify a broken speed record!

So how do you break a record at Bonneville?

First, you’ve got to build a kick ass car and follow SCTA/BNI’s rules while doing it. All sorts of different classes of cars race at Bonneville. They differ by body style, body modifications, engine size, and fuel used. Pick a class, add a good chunk of cash, plus a crew of noble friends and a good portion of blood, sweat, and tears and you’re ready to go!

Once at Bonneville and passed through tech inspection  (and of course with a proper license – they don’t just let any loony out on the track!) you can head out for a run. Bonneville, in case you didn’t know, is a salt flat. That means the extremely flat land is covered in naturally-formed salt crystals. (Editor’s Note: I was amazed to learn that when we say, “Salt” it’s literallytable salt, just a little more chunky. Have a taste!)

Three different tracks run at Bonneville. A long course, short course, and special course. The long course runs for seven miles straight! Within those seven miles you’ve got two miles to build speed followed by three timed miles and ending with two slow-down miles. The short and special course are only five miles in length. The same two miles for building speed and two miles for slow-down, but the difference is you’ve only got one timed mile in between. In order to run on the long course you’ve gotta reach a speed of 175 mph during the first 1/4 mile timed.

At the track, you’ll get in line and wait for your turn. As a spectator, this is one of the really cool things at Bonneville. First of all, varying classes aren’t separated – so you might watch a motorcycle take off one minute and the next it’s a streamliner. Secondly, as all these cars are lined up and waiting, you can go straight up to them – check them out and talk to their crew/driver/owner.

When it comes your time to run… you push your baby and go as fast as possible! Depending on which track you’re running, the middle one or three miles will be timed. If one of those official times beats a previously-set record in your racing class, then congratulations, you’re on your way to breaking a record!

After a record-breaking run, the first place you’ll go is impound. Impound is a holding area where you and your crew will be able to spend four hours working on any modifications you choose to make. This is a crucial decision because after those four hours are up, your car is gonna have to sit in impound, untouched, until the following morning at 7am when it’ll be time for run #2.

Run #2 will prove your speed-record time of your run #1. The average will be taken of both runs and only a record-breaking average of the two runs sets a new record. If you’re running the long course, they’ll be matching up each counted mile.  For example, if the previous record was 202.888 mph and your run #1 was 204.262 mph during mile 3 than your run #2 would have to be at least 201.516 during mile 3. Although run #2 didn’t beat the record, the average of the two runs is 202.889, good enough. Obviously, if you had a better run #2, the record would be even higher.

After you’ve made both of your record-breaking runs, the record isn’t official until tech inspection certifies that the engine and fuel used are legal for your running-class… One way they can verify if it’s a legal engine is by pumping it. This is done by removing a spark plug, turning over the engine, and using a special machine that will let them know what displacement the cylinder is. Or if that’s not possible they’ll take off the cylinder head and physically measure displacement.

Once those things check out, congratulations, you’ve set a new speed record!

Land Racing Jeep Comanche, Yeah, You Heard Me, A Jeep!

Bonneville Salt Flats: Jeep Race Car

This story is: “My Ride is Me”!  Combine Bonneville Salt Flats Racing, a Jeep Comanche and a father and a son.  Perfect!

Meet Peter, a new member here at MyRideisMe.com, he’s a Jeep guy, but not the off-road type  you might expect.  Here’s his story… It was too good for me to mess with.  ha ha  I asked him one question, that’s all it took to get him talking. -Hechtspeed

Written by: Peter Lechtanski

“The Inspiration?   Why do people do what they do?  What makes something (a car) so important to us?

I guess to answer your question, I have to go back 40 some years, it was 1963, and a saw a story on the evening news (on a black and white TV) about this 24 year old guy named Craig Breedlove. He’d just gone 400mph+ at the Bonneville Salt Flats, breaking a record held by the British since 1949.   He was the first man to go over 400mph in a car (and later the first man to go 500, and 600mph).

I was about 12 years old at the time, 2 years before we elected John Kennedy, the youngest President ever.  The Country was charged up.  We were challenged by our President to go out and do things, like go to the moon!  He also started the Peace Corps  and VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America).  Mostly young people joined these organizations.  We all believed our generation could change the world!

Craig Bredlove was charged up too, his car was the “Spirit of America” . His goal was to bring the Land Speed Record back to America, and he did.

The 60′s was a time of endless possibilities (I guess you had to be there).   Craig Breedlove continued to go faster and faster, but a couple of brothers from Ohio started to challenge him,  The Arfons brothers.   It was mostly Art Arfons in the Green Monster.   The record would go back and forth between Breedlove and Afrons.

On Breedlove’s return run to break the 500 mph record,  both his chutes failed, they ripped right off.  His brakes were a joke, but he was going 400 some mph, no chutes, and his steering was not working correctly.  He did put on the brakes, and although all of Breedlove’s speed records have been broken, he still holds the Guinness record for the worlds longest skid mark (5 miles i think!) After 10 miles or so he finally ran out of salt, and ended up in a pond with just the tail of the car sticking out.  He walked away without a scratch!  Talk about the invincibility of youth!  This was reality TV back in my day.

Needless to say, this was exciting! Going fast on the Bonneville Salt flats seemed like a great goal. Of course life happens, and the great hope of the early 60′s turned to civil  rights riots and the Vietnam war.  Then I got married, had 2 kids and perused my career.

I had always liked Jeeps, My grandfather has a 1949 CJ on his farm I use to drive around when I was 10 years old or so.  When I first started to drive  at 16  I had a 1962 Jeep Wagoneer.    A little later I got a 1952 CJ3a that was badly rusted and restored it over a couple of years.  I also did cool stuff like an engine swap, redesigned the steering,  put an overdrive in it, etc.  But marriage and the career left little time to work on the Jeep. It set for 2 years in the driveway with a tarp on it, and I finally ended up selling it.

So fast forward about 15 years… My son is 16 years old and tells me about a deal on a Jeep CJ7.  It belongs to a friend’s dad.   It’s broke and they wanted it out of their driveway.  I went to look at it, it was VERY rusty, it had a Chevy 383 stroker in it, TH350, Dana 300 transfer case.   The output shaft of the Transfer case was snapped off, i guess that 383 had some torque! We bought it for a couple of hundred bucks and dragged it home.

I thought it would be a good father-son project, and maybe deep down I wanted to replace the CJ I had sold so many years before.  Well I started to look for a new transfer case on the internet, and my son started to pull the body off to see what kind of repairs were required and what the condition of the frame was.  Turns out the body was not worth fixing, and the frame was pretty bad as well.  We decided to keep going with it anyway, but it went from being a quick fix to a long term project.   My son still needed some transportation.   I went on Ebay and found a 1986 Jeep J10 pickup for $2,500.  Not a bad deal for a 4wd pickup.  Problem was that it was in Joseph, Oregon and Ilived in Barrington, IL.   My wife an I flew out and drove it the 1,800 miles home, but that’s another story.

So my son drove a Jeep pickup to High School.  The truck was made the same year my son was born.   People would ask him “what is that?” or “Jeep makes pickup trucks?”  The truck was in great shape, and I think my son liked being a little different then everybody else.

I guess it is not uncommon that when you have some special type of car, they tend to multiply.

One day a guy I worked with said “I have a friend that has a Jeep Wagoneer that’s been sitting in his garage for 10 years and he wants it out, you interested?”  My son and I went over and looked at it. Turns out it was not a Wagoneer, but a full size Cherokee in great shape.   It had a 360 V8 with a Holley, Edelebrock intake, headers, cam, etc.   I asked ” why is it sitting “  the owner said,”After I put all of the performance stuff on, the transmission took a crap, I just never got around to fixing it.”  We bought it for $100 and dragged it home.  My son actually fixed it himself.  Turns out there was nothing wrong with the trans!  When the previous owner put the carb on he didn’t adjust the kick down linkage correctly so the transmission would not shift correctly.  In the mean time the J truck had engine problems (another story) so my son started driving the Cherokee.  After about 6 month of driving he hit some ice and slid into a tree.  The frame was bent pretty bad and he needed transportation to get to his job and school.  Back to Ebay to buy what else? Another Jeep.  Found a Jeep Comanche not too far away for $1,200.  My daughter wrecked her car about a year later and needed some transportation, I also bought her a Comanche for $700.

I guess kept buying the Jeeps because they were cool, cheap, reliable and just a little different. Maybe it all started when I was 10 years old driving the CJ around my Grandfathers farm.  It’s kind of like the guy who rode in the back of his dad’s 56 Chevy, and 50 years later he buys one of his own.  Maybe alot of this car thing is about reliving your youth, I don’t know if it is or it isn’t but  I do know I enjoy it and passing it all along to my son.

But a piece was missing, and it didn’t come to me until I saw a special on the Speed Channel about Craig Breedlove and the Spirit of America.   I recalled the days of my youth when my friends an I would follow what was going on in the late summer and fall at the Bonneville Salt Flats.  I guess it was a few months later, the spring of 2008  when I typed the letters S-C-T-A  into the Google search box.   It took me to the Southern California Timing association website.  I clicked on “Event schedules”  and scrolled down to Bonneville.  There it was,  Speed week.  I called up my son and told him we were going to Bonneville 2nd week of  August, he said, ” I’m in” and it was set: Our pilgrimage to the Mecca of Speed.

Bonneville is like no other event I’ve been to in my life. The place, the people, the cars, all just amazing!  But, to get back to the story, I think it was on Tuesday afternoon of Speed Week… I was looking at the program, and I noticed that the record for E/PP  (4.3L  Production Pickup)  was only about 115 mph.  Jeep had offered a 258 (4.2L) inline 6 in the J Trucks.  The Jeep pickup was designed around 1960, so it was not as large as current full size pickups, so it should have less wind resistance.  My son and I talked and agreed that running a truck would be way more fun that just watching.  We also still had the J truck my son drove in High School.

When we returned from  Bonneville I started emailing several companies asking if they could build an engine for me, they asked, “What’s the application?”  I would say “Land Speed Racing.” Lee Hurley from Hesco in Birmingham AL replied back: “We already built an engine for a Jeep Land Speed truck.”  Huh? What? Another Jeep land speed truck?   What is this all about?

Well back to the internet. After some research, I found that in 1986 An engineer at JTE  (Jeep and Truck Engineering) came up with the idea to show the performance of  new 4.0L engine by setting a land speed record with a Comanche Pickup, they actually ending up setting 13 records.  They built the truck over 4-5 months and originally ran it at El Mirage as the LSR 1.   They destroyed the engine by overheating it.  They then took the truck to Bonneville with a new engine and relabeled it the LSR 2.  It was at Bonneville that they set all the records.

During my research I was able to locate the LSR2 at the Chrysler archives in Michigan.  My son and I were able to visit the archives and examine the truck.  After seeing the truck, we realized that a full size Jeep Pickup land speed vehicle would be cool,  but a Comanche (mini pickup)  would actually have some history behind it.   The decision was made. The project was begun.
I am out of time for now.

More in part 2.  Stay tuned!

To be continued.

Hechtspeed

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